Motivating Students to Learn
As an educator, you understand the importance of motivating students’ learning in order to meet the heightened standards for student performance and achievement. You also recognize the challenge of being a motivational leader in the classroom who creates an instructional environment and designs standards-based lessons that motivate all learners.
There are many dimensions to motivation as students enter the classroom with different strengths, mindsets, and needs. As a teacher, part of your job is to create motivational strategies that correlate to the needs of your learners. When you energize your classroom and inspire your students to be confident learners, they will stretch, grow, and experience repeated success.
Of course, there will be times when your students express negativity about subject matter, challenging assignments, or a problem with a classmate. To fuel student motivation, your students need to be coached in how to turn a problem into an opportunity.
Did you know?
Researchers have stressed the mitigating value of academic optimism in enhancing academic achievement (Beard, 2008; Bower & Powers, 2010). “Academic optimism is a teacher’s positive belief that he or she can make a difference in the academic performance of students by emphasizing academics and learning, by trusting parents and students to cooperate in the process, and by believing in his or her own capacity to overcome difficulties and react to failure with resilience and perseverance” (Hoy, Hoy, & Kurz, 2008, p. 822).
Schools can create climates that support the development of independence and responsible decision making in students (Gottfried, 2009; Schunk, Pintrich, & Meece, 2007; Thacker, Bell, & Schargel, 2010).
Motivational strategies that seek to make academic content relevant to students’ interests, needs, and goals are effective in increasing student motivation (Kryza, Duncan, & Stephens, 2009). Students are more motivated to complete their homework when they perceive that their teachers support their psychological needs (Katz, Kaplan, & Gueta, 2010).
“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.”
—Henry Ford
The information below is based on ideas in the PLS courses Building Communication and Teamwork in the Classroom ®, Classroom Management: Orchestrating a Community of Learners ®, Classroom Management: Orchestrating a Community of Learners® Online , Designing Motivation for All Learners ®, Successful Teaching for Acceptance of Responsibility ®, Successful Teaching for Acceptance of Responsibility ® Online, Differentiated Instruction for Today’s Classroom ®, Differentiated Instruction for Today’s Classroom ® Online, Reading Across the Curriculum ™, Reading Across the Curriculum ™ Online, Teaching Through Learning Channels ®, Teaching Through Learning Channels ® Online.
Note: Performance Learning Systems, Inc. has revised the on-site course Designing Motivation for All Learners ® for a January 2012 offering.
Read on for motivational strategies that will engage your learners and reframe negative thoughts into positively-fueled challenges.
Change the Channel
Negative thoughts run rampant in the minds of students who have a low belief in their abilities. To change their belief, we have to change the way they think about what they can do. We must teach them to Change the Channel.
Use Change the Channel when you hear students make negative statements. You can use a TV remote control as a prop to encourage students to restate what they say. You can also teach students to use Change the Channel themselves to reverse negative thinking and negative self-talk. Change the Channel is a catchy and easy-to-use phrase that speaks to our tech-savvy students. With Change the Channel, negative thoughts can become exciting opportunities.
For example,
I can’t do this...becomes…I can’t do this YET!
This is too hard…becomes…I like a good challenge.
I don’t get this. I’m stuck…becomes…What strategy can I use?
This is boring…becomes…What can I learn from this?
Help your students to Change the Channel and turn negative thinking into a glass-half-full approach to learning, where every problem is an opportunity!
Declarations of Independence
We have all heard of the Declaration of Independence: a declaration of the intentions and beliefs of our new nation. Declarations are strong positive statements we make to state our intention and are another way in which students can Change the Channel. The power of intention helps us focus on exactly what we want to make happen.
A Declaration is positive:
Declarations use positive statements and avoid the use of negative words, such as no, not, can’t, won’t, couldn’t, and shouldn’t, because these words:
• Limit our personal power.
• Keep us focused on what isn’t rather than what is.
• Tap into the negative rather than the positive.
A Declaration can be expressed:
• To yourself silently.
• Out loud to yourself.
• To you by someone else.
• From you to someone else.
• Written and posted where you see it often.
Declarations empower students and foster self-efficacy by:
• Focusing on strengths.
• Using strengths to manage weaknesses.
Declaration Statements include:
• I declare that I have studied for my test and can do well.
• I declare that I have all the knowledge I need to complete this assignment accurately.
• I declare that my reading scores improve each month.
• I declare that my creativity is strong and useful in this project.
Acting on Declarations
Declarations cause a chain reaction and put intention into motion. Students can build confidence when they act on their Declarations by following this power of intention process.
| See It | Visualize your intention in your mind’s eye. |
| See yourself doing and completing your declaration. | |
| Think It | Let your mind think it a reality. |
| Think positive intentions and positive thoughts. | |
| Say It | Use positive self-talk and out-loud talk. Declare it! |
| Declarations cement our intention. | |
| Do It | All declarations must have action behind them. |
| Take action and carry out your intent. | |
| Be It | Act as if your declaration is true until it becomes |
| a reality and a part of who you are. | |
Taking It Further
Focus on Effectiveness: Student Motivation
References
Beard, K. S. (2008, October). Academic optimism of teachers: A new construct. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the UCEA Annual Convention, Buena Vista Palace Hotel and Spa, Orlando, Florida. Retrieved March 2, 2010, from http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p274775_index.html
Bower, H. A., & Powers, J. D. (2010). Promoting a culture of academic optimism through effective parent/school relationships: A structural equation model using ESSP MAP data. Paper presented at the Annual Conference for Social Work Research: A world of possibilities, San Francisco. Retrieved March 4, 2010, from http://sswr.confex.com/sswr/2010/webprogram/Paper13030.html
Gottfried, A. E. (2009). Commentary: The role of environment in contextual and social influences on motivation: Generalities, specificities, and causality. In K. R. Wentzel & A. Wigfield (Eds.), Handbook of Motivation at School (pp. 462–475). New York: Routledge.
Hoy, A. W., Hoy, W. K., & Kurz, N. M. (2008). Teacher's academic optimism: The development and test of a new construct. Teaching and Teacher Education: An International Journal of Research and Studies, 24, 821–835.
Katz, I., Kaplan, A., & Gueta, G. (2010). Students' needs, teachers' support, and motivation for doing homework: A cross-sectional study. Journal of Experimental Education, 78, 246–267.
Kryza, K., Duncan, A., & Stephens, S. J. (2009). Inspiring elementary learners: Nurturing the whole child in a differentiated classroom. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Schunk, D. H., Pintrich, P. R., & Meece, J. L. (2007). Motivation in education: Theory, research, and applications (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall.
Thacker, T., Bell, J. S., & Schargel, F. P. (2010). Creating school cultures that embrace learning: What successful leaders do. Larchmont, NY: Eye On Education.